Reviews

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford

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superstormnora's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Really interesting premise and story about humans in an imagined native city. It was kinda gory, but also a portrait of race relations that is fairly relatable in light of the race riots in the UK.

lwhittle's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

taylorrolyat's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sarahrosel's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

daisyvb's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

To write a crime thriller set in an invented city in an alternate version of history, involving language, culture, race, politics and more; and have it feel like a fully realised world in which you can imagine society existing, is an impressive feat. By the end of the book I felt fairly at one with the new version of 1920's America written about here, and was therefore able to finish the book enjoying and focusing on the complicated murder conspiracy narrative at its heart. The earlier stages of the book were a little more complex as I came to terms with all the world building, and I do feel like I still lack some context, leading me to wonder if a sequel/prequel is on the cards. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a meaty thriller, where you will have to pay attention to keep up with the pace, also anyone who is a little tired of the cliches set up by stories like this in standard 20's USA and wants to see everything flipped on its head.